Blog: Hospice Views

Caregivers are placed under an enormous amount of stress. Stress that is compounded sometimes by grueling hours, constant need of loved ones and families, and personal pain and heartbreak. Too much stress, to many hours, and not enough moments of clarity can lead to burn-out – and that isn’t good for anybody.
It is important for all caregivers to keep themselves mentally healthy, so that they can provide for the needs of their charges. To avoidburn-out, trying to following these guidelines can prove to be beneficial.

In the technical sense, Crossroads Hospice’s patients need to meet two criteria. First, the patient must be certified by two physicians with a prognosis of six months (or less) to live – if the disease runs its normal course. The second, is that the patient must choose palliative medicine instead of curative medical care.

Inspired by the life lessons in Jim Stovall’s novelThe Ultimate Gift, we developed unique plans of care that include programs like Gift of a Day. The idea is based on the question: “If you only had one day to live, what would it look like?”
Since its inception, we have helped hundreds of patients experience the perfect day.
Our staff members, volunteers and local businesses work together to bring the Gifts to life. Here is a gift that our Cincinnati office held for their patient, Larry Strautman.

One great thing about Crossroads hospice is the “team” approach to the delivery of care.
In any other healthcare setting, the patients’ care is decided upon by a physician, and other healthcare professionals then follow that doctors orders. This model of care almost always focuses on the physical ailments of the patient and is designed to “cure” the patients’ illnesses or reduce and/or eliminate the symptoms associated with the disease.
While Crossroads Hospice also utilizes physicians, namely the attending physicianof the patient and Crossroads Hospice’s Medical Director, these two physicians are only part of an all-encompassing team. At Crossroads, the director of the care plan is the patient. Nothing is done – no treatments, no medication – that doesn’t follow the patients’ wishes. At Crossroads Hospice, we recognize that physical ailments or discomfort are only part of the picture, and many times a patients’ pain cannot be brought under control unless the mental and spiritual issues are addressed. Therefore, the team at Crossroads Hospice must be able to handle all aspects of care for any patient.

When I think aboutsocial media, the first thing that pops into my head is how “new” the term is. I think if asked the question, “What is Social Media?” ten years ago, I may have responded with “personal ads.” Think about how much our world and how we communicate with each other has changed. These changes have come very quickly as technology has exploded exponentially. Just as the question above, I was thinking about similar questions and have come up with these answers: Twitter was something birds do; LinkedIn would have made me think of a chain gang; a Blog could have been a horror movie; and if someone told me toGoogle someone…well, let’s just leave that one alone.
The truth is that we now are more informed and have the ability to do more research than ever before. Today’s consumers are much more knowledgeable about products and services than not just their preceding generation, but more than they were just 5 or 10 years ago.

Staff…oh, you want more. OK… more staff. If I had to point to one thing about Crossroads that makes a difference it is our ability to communicate our ideals and philosophy of care to our staff. Our differences are not just something to be written in some marketing brochure. They are embraced and proudly upheld by each person. From our direct care staff to our Executive Directors and the Board of Directors, everyone feels the need to “Expect More.” Healthcare is tough, caring for dying patients is tough, helping family members who are crippled with grief is tough. I ask every new employee what happened when they told their friends and family that they are working with Crossroads Hospice. The reaction to our industry hasn’t changed much. It’s always “Oh, how can you do that?” Well I am here to say that there is no more important job than to help patients with this journey. My question to them is “How can you not!”